corn and soybean crops declined for the second successive week as unusually dry weather depleted soil moisture in the Midwest, stressing the nation's two biggest crops. The report was issued after the close of trading on the Chicago Board of Trade, on which corn and soybeans plunged the maximum allowed by the exchange on forecasts for more rain and less heat in the Midwest after two months of dry weather. McDonald's corp. said Monday that it expected to post its second quarterly loss in...

The Vatican is not pleased, and it's not alone: Fernando Lugo's candidacy not only tests the church's strict prohibition on clergy seeking political office; it also challenges the established elites in Paraguay. He used his pulpit to rally the poor to help themselves and says recent travels indicate people want agrarian reform, industrial production and more jobs. Nonetheless, several smaller opposition parties have not said whether they would unite behind Lugo, and his bid could be...

is 300 acres across from the Duke Energy Plant is back to a soybean field now, but four years ago, the same week nearby sun coke broke ground on its new plant. The giant power generation corporation Calpine announced it was building a half billion dollar natural gas powered electrical power plant on that soybean land, but changing energy prices kept the soybeans growing. Clean coal technology is a term we're hearing more and more these days when it comes to proposals for new plants with...

East-Central Indiana corn and soybean crops showing stress Tuesday, July 17, 2007, 7:34 AM by Dave Russell The latest crop and weather report from the Indiana Field Office of the National Ag Statistics Service (NASS) indicates that the lack of rain and temperatures in the 90 s are taking their toll on both the Indiana corn and soybean crops. East-Central Indiana corn and soybean crops showing stress Tuesday, July 17, 2007, 7:34 AM by Dave Russell The latest crop and weather report from the...

On March 3rd 2007, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia decided to hedge against the possibility of an early US withdrawal from Iraq, by inviting Iranian hard-line president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to an extraordinary meeting, promising a thaw in relations between the two regional petro-powers. In today's world of 20-second sound bites, and information overloaded with lots of static and noise, it's easy to lose one's historical perspective on the markets. Once crude oil tumbled to the $60 / barrel...